The Rise of the Allfathers
by Eat Cheese Everyday
Summary: (AU) Shepard has been betrayed by Udina and sent to prison where he finds salvation in the form of an unlikely ally. Alongside the disgraced ex-pirate lord Atlas, Shepard begins his life anew as a crime boss with a new life agenda. And in his pursuit of money and power, finds himself at the heart of an insane plot that could tip the balance of power in the Terminus forever...


**A/N: This is my first ever fan-fiction story so please be lenient. The story will feature a 'Paragade' male Shepard and take place after the events of Mass Effect 1. There will also be a character of my own creation in the story in order to influence the 'grey' Shepard on to the path laid out for him. This is NOT a self-insertion, I know quite a few OCs become saturated with power and skill and so often are secretly shallow reflections of the writer him/herself, I'm not about that, no need to worry. Eventual main pairings include Garrus/Jack and M Shepard/Daro'Xen. Contains four main protagonists, points of view will change throughout the story. Story has had a rewrite, I know it's tedious that the old chapters have been deleted, but they'll be all new and shiny. Believe me, it's for the best. And now ladies and Gentlemen, we give you the rewritten and still being rewritten version of... The Rise of the Allfathers. Authored by the same talented writer who brought you the captivating story, The Pirate King, Boldfullmetal, check it out. Oh, and some other douchebag who likes cheese.**

Disclaimer: This is a non-profit story, all rights to Bioware except for the plot, and the OCs.

Panting like he had just ran a marathon, Shepard collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. His Predator Heavy pistol quickly followed suit and let out a small clatter as it dropped lifelessly on the ground next to him. Sovereign, or rather, Saren's metallic skeleton lay dead a few yards ahead of him. The head was missing; having been previously shot off by a blast from Shepard's pistol, and every so often a few sparks would shoot out of the exposed wiring as the power core died.

"Shepard! You okay? Are you hurt?" called out Garrus Vakarian; his most trusted friend and companion in blood. John could hear the worry in his tone.

_Fuck, I'm gonna be sore in the morning._ "Yeah, I'll be... I'll be fine!" trying to stand, every muscle in his body screamed in protest and he collapsed to one _Fuuuuuuuuckkkkk_ "J-Just, just give me a minute to catch my breath."

"Surveying the ruined presidium around him, every once in a while an explosion would go off in the distance as the dust and wreckage settled. He certainly didn't envy the poor bastards who'd have to clean all this up. But it was worth it. He had done it. He had actually done it! Saren, Geth infiltrator, rogue Spectre, and Reaper agent had finally gotten his just desserts. The galaxy could finally live in peace.

John wanted to laugh. Laugh at Saren's corpse, laugh at Sovereign, laugh at the whole prospect of saving the galaxy. Why was it so funny? He didn't know; probably the adrenaline high of combat. But he suppressed the urge in fear of looking like a lunatic.

"Shepard, the council wants to speak with you immediately." said Garrus's voice through his headset.

_Ughhh, can't I get a moment here?_ Letting out a heavy sigh, _Okay, ups-a-daisy_ Shepard grunted as he pulled himself up and found Urdnot Wrex and Garrus on his arms. Together, the three of them limped towards the Galactic Council. They were quickly followed by Kaidan and Liara. His crew, his teammates, and dare he think it... his friends. 

The Council all seemed to have the same expression donning their faces, a smile that shared in the triumph of the Commander's exploits, yet it was mixed with just the hint of arrogance. Yep, they're definitely cut out to be politicians.

"Ambassador, Captain, Commander Shepard." Councillor Tevos said with all the grace and elegance her people were known for. "We have gathered here to recognize the enormous contributions of the Alliance forces in the war against Sovereign and the Geth."

"Many humans lost their lives in the battle to save the Citadel, brave and courageous soldiers who willingly gave their lives so that we - The Council - might live." Councillor Valern added.

To Shepard's surprise, the Turian Councillor Sparatus actually seemed proud to address the assembled human's as friends. "There is no greater sacrifice, and we share your grief over the tragic loss of so many noble men and women."

"The council also owes you a great personal debt, Commander. One we can never repay." Tevos slightly bowed her head. "You saved not just our lives, but the lives of millions from Sovereign and the Geth."

"Commander Shepard, your heroic and selfless actions serve as a symbol of everything humanity and the alliance stand for." Valern added.

Sparatus nodded his head, "And though we cannot bring back those valiant soldiers who gave their lives to save ours, we can honour their memories through our actions."

"Indeed. Humanity has shown it is ready to stand as a defender and protector of the galaxy." Tevos added, "You have proved that you are worthy to join our ranks and serve beside us on the Citadel Council."

"Councillor, on behalf of humanity and the Alliance, we thank you for this prestigious honour and humbly accept." Udina replied and Shepard felt his gut plummet. He hated the arrogant egotistical ass-kisser with a passion.

"We will need a list of potential candidates to fill humanities seat on the Council." said Valern "Given all that has happened, I am sure your recommendation will carry a great deal of weight Commander. Do you support any particular candidate?"

The statement caught Shepard off guard, this really wasn't his scene. Appointing someone to represent man-kind to the rest of the galaxy? Jesus, this was some reward! Glancing between Anderson and Udina, Shepard saw the Ambassador's shit eating grin and knew this choice was gonna be easy. "Councillors, we need someone with the courage to stand up for what he believes in, someone like Captain Anderson."

Anderson shot him a smile, "You trying to make me blush, Shepard?"

John saw in Udina's eyes as all the backstabber's dreams of power were quickly snuffed out, "Are you sure about this, Commander? The Captain is a soldier, not a politician. He tends to let his fists do the talking." His tone was not too friendly.

"Only with you, Ambassador. Only with you."

_I really should check it out if Spectres can kill someone without provocation._ "We've already got too many politicians on the Citadel. The Captain would be perfect for this job."

Sensing the undertones between the three humans, Tevos decided to move this along. "I think it's an inspired choice, Commander. The Council will welcome him with open arms, should he accept."

Anderson stood at-ease, "I'm honoured councillor. As humanities representative, I'll do everything in my power to help the Council rebuild."

"Sovereign's defeat marks the beginning of a new era for both humanity, and the Council." said Sparatus.

Shepard warily glanced between the three councillors; did they not understand this wasn't over yet? "Sovereign was only a vanguard. The Reaper fleet is still coming, hundreds of ships, maybe thousands. And I'm going to find some way to stop them!" Turning, Shepard left the dismayed councillor's and overheard Anderson begin to speak.

"Shepard's right. Humanity is ready to do its part. United with the rest of the Council, we have the strength to overcome any challenge, any obstacle. When the Reapers come, we must stand side by side. We must fight against them as one. And together we will drive them back into dark space!"

"Everyone loves a fight speech. Shepard mused as he caught up with Wrex and Garrus.

"Well... what now?" asked the scarred Krogan warlord.

Garrus 'hmm'ed' long and hard for a moment as if formulating a plan. "Who's hungry? I think the lower wards survived most of the fighting. There's this place a few blocks from here that serves dextro Shawarma. I don't know what that is but I wanna check it out, who's with me?"

"Hell yeah," chimed Kaidan "I could go for some grub after all this!"

Wrex pounded his fists together, "Hell, I can always eat."

Shepard smirked, "Sounds like a plan."

Walking down the damaged hallway, Shepard heard footsteps quickly approaching from the rear. Thinking it was some C-Sec cataloguing that needed to be repaired; he didn't think much of it. Suddenly Shepard was spun around and shoved against a bulkhead. Much To his surprise, Udina had his hand on his armoured shoulder and was glaring death at him.

"You think this is over, Commander!? You think I'm just gonna lie down while you strip away everything I've spent my life working towards!"

_So he does have a pair, who knew?_ "You better check yourself, Ambassador." his voice dripped venom.

"Check myself!?"

He went to shove the Commander again, but this time John was ready and easily dogged. Cocking back his fist, Shepard delivered a bone shattering first to the Ambassador's jaw. He felt the man's bone's crack as Udina spun backwards and slumped to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Rage fuelling his emotions, Shepard advanced on the man and slammed his boot heel against his windpipe; he rasped for breath. Pulling out his pistol, Shepard trained its sights on the arrogant son of a bitches head, "I just destroyed a Reaper, what makes you think I won't kill you..." taking a pause he glanced around and saw that they were alone, "You forget yourself Udina. You just assaulted a Council Spectre, the penalty for which if I recall is most severe."

"Y-you c-can't do this! I am Humanity's' Ambassador!"

Looking again at the destruction all around them, John saw a steel beam precariously teetering above their heads. "They're pulling bodies out of rubble all across this station, dip-shit. It will be a simple matter to add yours to the pile." Having his fill of death for one evening, Shepard let the man go. "Be a doll and keep that in mind."

Stepping off, Shepard's crew heard him sputter, "You'll pay for this, Commander. You'll pay! You'll all pay!"

"Go suck a tailpipe." John chuckled back.

few hours later pretty much every member of his crew except for Liara, who apparently had 'somewhere to be' descended upon the restaurant. As they ate and silently reflected upon all they had accomplished together, the Asari shopkeeper moved behind them sweeping up the dust and shattered glass. Needless to say it was an odd sight, but it was strangely befitting the hodgepodge group of heroes.

_Two Weeks Later_

With barely constrained anger, John threw the datapad in his hand onto Councillor Anderson's desk. It rattled as it collided with several stacks of other pads, knocking a few of them over. With a heavy sigh, Anderson took the pad and looked at what he already knew to be true.

What the fuck is this shit!? Why the fuck am I being summoned before a Tribunal!?" Shepard roared, "It's Udina isn't it! That fucking shit eater, I should have killed him when I had the chance!"

"CALM YOURSELF COMMANDER!" Anderson yelled back and Shepard instinctively fell in line like a good soldier. Wearily the councillor massaged his temples. "Of course it's Udina, Shepard. Who else would it be? He's pissed over not getting chosen as Humanity's Councillor and is taking his rage out on the only target he can, you."

"I. Am. A. Council. Spectre. Anderson." Shepard kept control of his rising anger and was sure to state each word as clear as possible. "I've done my homework, Captain. Only the Citadel Council can summon me for disciplinary actions. I'm not some wet-behind-the-ears child who can be summoned by some piss-ant with a sore asshole and a god damn god complex!"

"I know that, Commander, I know. And the Admiralty knows it as well. But we lost nearly two fleets in the fight against Sovereign and the families' next of kin want answers. More so the public is demanding to know what happened... And it doesn't help that Udina is back at home stroking the fires of discontent."

John snarled, throwing his hands up, "So just tell them the truth!"

"We can't, Shepard. The Council has classified most of the incident reports and I have to stick to the agreed upon cover story... Besides, can you imagine the panic that would ensue if the public knew about the Reapers. We're just starting to pick up the pieces, and wide spread hysteria would only make us more vulnerable for when they do eventually come."

Shepard could hear the slight hint of disbelief in the Councillor's tone. "They are coming, Anderson. Sovereign was just the vanguard. They _are_ coming."

"I know that, Shepard." he apologized, "And despite what they say, the council wants to believe you too." Anderson sighed again. Going to his liquor cabinet he poured both of them a tumbler of scotch. The Captain regretted the ever growing frequency he visited this particular oak cabinet. It seemed like not a day went by where he wasn't sending out an aid to procure more bottles of liquid anti-depressant. "But all the evidence we've collected is either damaged beyond recovery or circumstantial at best. You're the only one who interacted with the Beacon on Eden Prime, Shepard. You're the only one who saw the warning signs. And despite your recent accomplishments, you can't bank your entire legal defence upon your visions."

Shepard heavily sighed and gratefully took the offer drink. Sitting down, the chair creaked as if it too was burdened by the intangible weight on the human's shoulders. Swirling the amber brown liquid in the glass, John took a sip and felt fire race down his throat and warm his belly.

"Hhhhuuuuhhhhh, I know... But what about the records at Ilos? Surely the Prothean V.I. can back our case up?"

Anderson took his seat and shook his head in disappointment, "The council dispatched a fleet to Ilos, Commander. They found nothing."

John sputtered in disbelief, "There was an entire archive on that planet! It couldn't have just disappeared like a fart in the wind! Talk to Liara, talk to Wrex, talk to Garrus, talk Tali, talk to Kaidan, they'll back us up!"

Anderson momentarily regretted what he was about to say, "Daughter of a disgraced Matriarch who collaborated with Saren, Krogan sell-sword, C-Sec beat cop, and a Quarian pilgrim... I don't mean to insult your friends Commander, but they're hardly credible witnesses. Udina's army of lawyers would rip them to shreds on the stand."

"What about Kaidan? Surely the word of a Major in the Alliance military must carry some weight?"

"You would think so, but I know Udina. He wouldn't hesitate to claim the Major's L2 implant makes him mentally unstable, and therefore anything he says is open to speculation." Anderson sighed for what had to be the thousandth time that day, "Udina's on a mission, Shepard. He doesn't give two shits about ruining an officer's career if it gets him what he wants... I know it's a shit situation, Son. But if I were you, I'd strongly urge you keep the collateral damage to a minimum."

This can't be happening. Shepard's mind raced for solutions. "What about Captain Kirrahe? Surely the word of a respected STG commander has some merit?"

Anderson sadly shook his head, "He's a foreign military operative and I fear that his presence would only hurt our case."

John had had enough, "Than what about you? You're Humanity's Councillor, Anderson. Are you telling me there's nothing you can do!?"

Anderson massaged his temples, "I would if I could, Shepard, but my position here is precarious at best. I'm still establishing working relationships with the other Ambassadors and Councillors and if I make such a sudden move, Udina will no doubt find a way to pressure the Prime minister for my resignation."

GOD FUCKING DAMMIT! "So you're telling me there's nothing you can do?" Shepard tried to keep the hostility in in voice under control, but it was proving difficult.

"As of right now... No. But your status as a Spectre does entitle you to a certain amount of clout, Commander. As much as Udina hates it, you're a war hero, saviour of the Citadel, and the first human Spectre, Son. I'm positive you can use that celebrity to persuade some of his followers to back down." Anderson took a sip of his drink. "I'll give it to you straight, Shepard: Udina's on a witch hunt, and he got just enough supporters and to get his way. And we don't want a prolonged internal war going on, not with the Reapers at the galaxy's edge."

Shepard looked at the man he respected most in the world, "What are you saying?"

"You did what you did for the best of reasons, but... There were more than five thousand humans aboard those warships, son, all of which are dead." Anderson saw John's eyes fill with grief and the Councillor instantly regretted bringing it back up.

Shepard filled himself with resolve, "They died in the line of duty to save trillions throughout this galaxy!... We are at war! If I could have saved them, you bet your ass I would have."

Anderson raised his hands in a surrendering gesture, "You're preaching to the choir, son. If it was up to me, I'd give you a damn medal. Unfortunately, not everyone will see it that way."

_Fucking Politics as usual! Never mind the whole god damned galaxy could have been destroyed!_ John shook his head, "So what do you suggest?"

"The evidence against you is shoddy, at best. I can keep the wolves off your back for a few months while you gather supporters and weaken Udina's case. But at some point, you'll have to go to Earth and face the music. I can't stop it... But I can and will make them fight for it."

A long pause passed between the two soldiers, "Are we ready for a war with the Reapers?"

Anderson scratched the back of his head, "That's hard to say. It took multiple fleets - and the Destiny Ascension - to bring Sovereign down. And that was just one Reaper. If the Reapers come in force, we're just not ready." he took a deep breath, "Do whatever you have to do, Commander. But when Earth calls, you make sure you're there with your dress blues on, ready to take the hit."

Shepard saluted, "Yes, sir."

Anderson let his lips form into a warm smile, "You've done a hell of a thing, Commander. No matter what happens, just know how proud of you I am."

_Several Months Later_

What had started out originally as a formal hearing, quickly devolved into something reminiscent of monkey fights at the zoo. Complete with screaming primates, shit flinging, and generally uncivilized behaviour. And although in the months prior to his summons, Shepard had managed to sway numerous politicians away from Udina's side, the conniving duplicitous bottom feeder was still coming out on top. He was clearly a far better politician than a human being.

On the first day of the hearings, it became abundantly clear to Shepard that facts would not be the deciding factor of his fate. No, the assembly of senators and dignitaries had long ago succumbed to baser instincts. Their military, which had been lauded to the public as the best in the galaxy had been dealt a crippling blow by a powerful enemy none of them could even fathom how to comprehend, let alone defeat. And after the first week, the Spectre could see the fear and discontent in all of their eyes. They didn't want answers, they didn't want the truth, they wanted a scapegoat. Someone whose shoulders they could heave all their burdens upon in the hopes that throwing him out an airlock would absolve them of all their worries. And chairing this witch hunt was Udina.

God how he wished he had pulled that trigger all those months ago.  
Oh once the bastard knew he couldn't win against him in a fair fight, he started resorting to underhanded tactics; planting evidence, falsifying transcripts, doctoring video footage, all so that he could puncture the Commander's honour. Try as he might, once John was labelled an alien sympathizer, he knew it was all over. It honestly surprised him how strikingly different the Alliance actually was to the image they portrayed to the larger galaxy.

"Why did you order our fleets to save the Council, Commander? Rather than focus on attacking the Geth dreadnought under Saren's command?" inquired Senator Henry Lawson. Much to Shepard's surprise, the Terra Firma party leader had been squarely in his corner since the very beginning.

Hands folded behind his back, "The Destiny Ascension is more than just a simple warship, Senators. It is the living embodiment of democracy throughout this galaxy and is a symbol of unity, power, and freedom for all the races who call the Citadel home. Including Humanity... The far reaching effects of losing such an important and iconic landmark would be indescribable. And at the time of the events in question, the Destiny Ascension not only housed the Citadel council, but also fifty thousand crew and civilian personnel. As an officer in the Alliance military, and Council Spectre, I am duty-sworn to protect our allies and civilians no matter what the cost may be."

"You sacrificed humans to save fucking alien lives!" someone yelled out and others of the assembly shared his sentiments. Some were even going as far as calling for his head.

Shepard roared, "Six thousand human civilians were aboard the Destiny Ascension as well!... Would you ask me to sacrifice them as well!?... THEY ARE OUR ALLIES!"

"You chose to save the council at the cost of our brave men and women!" Udina yelled, "You have stated your status as a Council Spectre numerous times, Commander. Is it beyond the scope to question just where your loyalties lay? To Humanity? Or to your alien colleagues?"

This brought forth a thunderous roar of stamping feet from the assembly as many shouted out obscenities.

"ORDER! WE WILL HAVE ORDER!" Admiral Hackett yelled out as he slammed his gavel numerous times upon the wooden block. It seemed to quickly quiet the procession down. "Commander Shepard's loyalty isn't in question here."

"With all due respect your honour, I disagree!" Udina shot back as he glared death at Shepard, "At this time I'd like to present further evidence that Shepard is in fact of questionable nature to the Alliance. It is my firm belief from Shepard's history combined with very legally reserved material and some... disturbing correspondence from certain parties that Shepard is in actual fact a double-agent!" half of the crowd within the courtroom gasped upon hearing the words "double-agent" the rest simply sat in silence with their mouths half open. Damn it! They were just eating up his bullshit as if it were ice-cream!

"Admiral, If I may present my evidence to the court to what is clearly an open-and-shut case?"

Admiral Hackett took one slightly worrying look at Shepard. Almost as if he was weighing the odds as to whether what Udina said was true, this insulted Shepard greatly that the Admiral would even consider the possibility.

"Ahem, yes Ambassador, you may present your evidence now."

"First of all, under protocol 6 of Section 4C which is to monitor all verbal and visual activity aboard an Alliance vessel during a mixed race expedition, we managed to discover some very interesting comments made by Commander Shepard on the day before the Battle of the Citadel in a conversation with one Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko of the Alliance Biotic task force. If you'd kindly play the audio log now, would and everyone in the room remain quiet please."

\- "It's just so unfair Commander, why would they simply clamp you down on the mission now when they know that we have Saren's location? We can fix this mess; we can get to the Conduit before Saren. The very nature of this mission, and now they wish to abort it once we're so close to its conclusion. How'd you cope, Commander? How do you cope having so many people you adored and admired just doubt your ability over and over no matter how many times you prove them wrong?"

"With great difficulty, it took me a lot of effort not to go and just kill the Ambassador in cold blood, I don't know why I let my sense of reason get in the way, I'd have him skinned and salted if I had my way."

Kaidan chuckled, "I hear you, Commander."

"Can I ask you something Kaidan?"

"Of course Commander, what's on your mind?"

"Do you think that maybe these xenophobic aliens are right? That perhaps Humans aren't ready for the age of intergalactic travel and co-existing among aliens?"

Kaidan sighed, "Don't tell me your having doubts and buying into their crap Commander. They're just envious they haven't made this much progress in such little time before, it's not our fault we are fast adapters to new scenarios."

"I'm just saying, we as a race can be pretty rash and even violent at times, we barely even know how to get along with each other in sometimes, let alone extra-terrestrials, no race has had as a history as rich in terrorist organizations or as many cases of tyranny or genocide or war as we have. Maybe we are just a weak race that doesn't deserve to co-exist with others; maybe the best way for us to survive is if we never met any non-humans, if we remained Earth-bound. The best way for a hateful race to thrive is to exist with neighbours with minimal differences."

Kaidan's eyes widened slightly, "Well don't go around preaching that stuff openly; someone may get the wrong idea."

Shepard chuckled, "I'm shitting my pants, Kaidan."

Kaidan shook his head slowly before heading out of the room, and then the footage ended. Udina clapped his hands loudly twice, a large holo-projector descended from the ceiling above the Judge's dais. 

"First of all, after the Normandy was confiscated from Shepard after the Battle of the Citadel, the team in charge of destroying all possible dangerous contraband aboard as is protocol under Section 4B of Clause 12 within the Alliance Military Code of Conduct, the team in charge of the sweep reported back with some very interesting findings. Specifically, several large shipping containers were found in the cargo bay of the Normandy. Upon scanning the tightly secure containers the team managed to conclude from the security patterns that the security encryption used to lock the containers consisted entirely of a code known to be of Cerberus origin. As we all know, possession of Cerberus utensils and data regardless of purpose without proper authorisation is a Class-Two felony."

Admiral Hackett looked at Shepard with a concerned look on his face. "Commander, is this true?"

Shepard shook his head furiously, "No your honour, I don't know why those crates happened to be encrypted with Cerberus security or how they got there, but I protest to the accusation that I was the one responsible. Just because they were there doesn't mean I'm connected, and even if they were connected with me, that would just prove I hate aliens and support humanity would it not?"

The Admiral rested his chin on his fist, narrowing his eyes in a deep in thought. "Yes that is true, if Shepard were a Cerberus inside-man then the worst punishment we could possible give would be a large fine, ten year prison sentence and a life confinement to Earth."

"I protest your honour! The trail does not end there I fear, for that is merely the tip of the iceberg of Shepard's crimes. Luckily the codes that were used were an older version produced three years ago and fortunately we had Intel on how to crack it. Within the containers, we found several kilograms of Red sand, approximately a ton's worth in total."

Shepard looked up at Udina, outraged and incredibly confused as to how those containers got there in the first place without his knowing about it. Shepard's jaw dropped faster than a cinderblock down an elevator shaft, "I honestly have no idea how they got there! I don't! Do you really think I'd be stupid enough to harbour Red Sand in that quantity or any quantity on an Alliance vessel? Who's to say it was mine?"

Udina growled, "I was just coming to that, these crates were marked as Priority Red items, as we all know, Priority Green means any shipmate can admit them on board, Priority Amber meaning that only the CO, XO and other high-ranking crew members can admit and access them. Red meaning that only the Captain of the ship can access and admit them to the cargo. These were Priority Red cargo, Shepard. You knew what was in them."

"Do I? I think remember admitting them but they were marked with the Council signature, the shipping manifest said they were food and medicine. General supplies." Shepard retorted, fairly sure that he'd crushed Udina along with his petty little accusation which was clearly going no-where.

"On the contrary, Shepard. You left one damning piece of evidence on board the ship that proves you were fully aware as to what the containers held. We believe that this rather massive amount of Red sand was a bribe your honour." 

Hackett leaned forward in interest, "A bribe? A bribe for what?"

Udina smiled, Shepard resisted the urge to crush him into a fine paste with his biotics. Something that took a great deal of discipline."Upon discovering this rather substantial bounty of highly illegal and highly valuable material we decided to pry into Shepard's private e-mails for evidence that may be linked to said material. The terminal was protected by security software far more advanced than standard-issue Alliance code. In fact it was MK VII Salarian code, some of the finest e-security that money can buy, certainly not Alliance standard issue by any means. Within the terminal we discovered only one e-mail unread in the inbox area and we found this."

The projector switched from the video footage of the team prying open the crates to an image of an e-mail.

"Commander,

Over the past few days you have proven to be nothing but an asset to our cause, even though most of us have our doubts about having a human work with us it is my firm belief that you stand out from your perverse and unworthy race. You are an anomaly, and when it comes to disgusting wastes of space such as your species, anomalies are well paid for their service for the good of the galaxy. You have been an immensely useful resource to our organization for a year now, and for sacrificing a considerable chunk of the human military in favour of our personnel, you have proven your loyalty. However it is the belief of many of us here that you have exhausted your use to us, and so we have decided to let you and the somewhat questionable evidence we have against you beating Ambassador Udina that one drunken night out of our grasp as promised. With that we part ways, your reward is on its way now, a substantially valuable amount of… 'Merchandise' for you to sell or keep for your own pleasure. If you weren't aware, it's the two navy-coloured crates that arrived this morning marked food and medicine offered up by our people in the Council's task forces. Farewell Commander, we shall not speak again."

K, League of Galactic Purity

Shepard's heart was pounding at one thousand beats per minute, a thousand questions flowing through his head. How? What? When? Where? Why? Actually, he knew why.

_Two Hours later_

The evidence was there, the fake evidence. Udina had won. _Udina had won. _But you know what? Shepard was far too angry at himself to care about that self-absorbed cretin.

With the fake evidence presented, Shepard's life was over. The verdict? Guilty.

Two men gripped their hands on Shepard's shoulders and escorted him out of the building towards and armoured skycar. hundreds of ex-fans, reporters, and a few soldiers from the Alliance awaited him amassed outside the front doors like zombies besieging a shopping mall. People spat at him, threw litter at him, booed and hissed.

Unbeknownst to Shepard, two figures were watching him in the distance, atop a large six-story apartment building; people who would change his life forever and right the wrongs that were forged today in the fires of betrayal.

The two figures watched him enter the skycar, a Salarian, and a man in a leather duster coat, watching him through a pair of binoculars.

The Salarian was the first to speak, "Are you absolutely sure about this boss? Could be the last decision you ever make." 

The Salarian's associate lowered his binoculars and smiled, "Oh yeah... he'll do." He said, in a gruff voice.

"It's not too late to back out you know," the Salarian protested, "we can find someone a lot easier to acquire, this _is_ Shepard we're talking about. The fucker's like a magnet for all kinds 'a shit. Plus he'll never cooperate willingly"

The Human scoffed, "I don't need his approval, what I need is his cooperation, and I'll get it from him one way or another, and when the time comes, he'll have no choice but to submit."

"Uh huh, of course." said Lorne with an unsubtle roll of his eyes at his boss's arrogant attitude. 

"Get a hold of Wolf, while you're at it ready my shuttle."

"And where are you going, pray tell?"

"Take a guess, _you're_ supposed to be the smart one of this outfit, remember?"

The Human put the binoculars in a bag he was carrying, the two mysterious figures walked away back to their skycar, and with that, they were gone.

A/N) Don't forget to review! Those of you who write yourselves will understand how moreish those things are. And yeah, I know this project has been on hold for quite a while, especially if you count the time it took to organise a rewrite. But fear not, we're working on it, I just have to get hold of my good friend Sergius and the story can resume, and it will… eventually… maybe… at some point…


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